


Eternal Forces

by momoxtoshiro



Category: Hololive, HololiveEN, Virtual Streamer Animated Characters
Genre: But mostly fluff, F/F, Fluff, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Takamori, also me 5k words later: what happened, hololive - Freeform, hololiveEN - Freeform, i have no idea what im doing but im gay and im HERE FOR THEM, ive fallen and i cant get up, me: i wanna write a smol drabble, please read the notes and pls be nice to me sakjdhfksd, self-indulgent fluff cuz im greedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 13:48:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28583019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momoxtoshiro/pseuds/momoxtoshiro
Summary: A collection of drabbles about a phoenix and a reaper - irrevocably connected to one another.
Relationships: Mori Calliope & Takanashi Kiara, Mori Calliope/Takanashi Kiara
Comments: 56
Kudos: 372





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay listen, I just fell down the vtuber rabbit hole 3 days ago, I don't know everything exactly, I haven't ever read any fics and I don't know how people write/express/characterize them when they're going to be 'real' people in the context of a story, I've probably missed a few things or just written them inaccurately in general, but... I had to do something for Takamori. I had to. It wasn't a choice okay it's just who I am aksjdhs
> 
> Sooooo I'm twisting things a bit to make them fit what I want cuz I'm self-indulgent haha. This is taking place right after their "A Way Out" finale. For the purposes of this story, they are physically playing together at Kiara's house. Also, even in narration I just use "Calli" because I don't think of her full name that much and it just flows better in my head.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with Hololive characters or persons in any way.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their "A Way Out" stream, Kiara is feeling a bit sad. Calli does her best to cheer her up.

Eternal Forces

Even after signing off from their "A Way Out" stream, Calli can tell Kiara is still a bit deflated.

As an apprentice reaper and bringer of death, Calli had been desensitized to feeling upset about death eons ago - if she'd _ever_ felt upset about it at all.

And yet, somehow, this modern video game about fictional characters with fictional stories had made her feel real emotions, which was both impressive and terrifying in her book.

But more than being upset by the game itself, she's mostly troubled about the effect it seems to be having on Kiara.

Calli helps her clean up the room and put away all of her streaming equipment for the night, and all the while Kiara lets out these sad little sighs and mumbles. Whenever she accidentally catches Calli's eye she smiles, but the reaper can tell it's a little forced.

After spending so much time with her recently, Calli has begun to understand that Kiara tends to be a bit more sensitive to the sadder things sometimes. And she can't simply play the "it's just a game" card, when Calli herself had experienced a lot of emotions from it too. Plus, that'd be pretty jerk-y.

Once the computers and monitors have been shut down and the desk has been cleared of clutter, Kiara glances at the digital clock to find it's nearly midnight. Even though she's still a bit depressed, she draws in a deep breath and turns to her guest with a plastered smile.

"Well, thank you for coming over to play with me, Calli! It really was a lot of fun in spite of that ending. But from what chat said, it sounds like only one of us can live either way. Which is fine, but I really kind of wish there was a 'good ending' option as well."

"Yes," Calli says. "I agree. Even if it arguably adds more emotion to the game to give it bad endings, I feel most people wouldn't object if there was a hidden 'good end' or something."

"Yeah…" Kiara looks at the floor and shuffles her feet. "Hey, Calli? Before you go, do you think… maybe I could have another hug?" She'd asked for one a bit earlier and Calli had relented once already, so she isn't sure if she'll do it again.

But truth be told, Calli almost perks up at the request.

"Of course," she says, maybe a little too quickly. "I mean, considering it _was_ a pretty rough ending, I can tell you're still quite upset. Therefore, I wouldn't mind trying to help cheer you up a bit, Kusotori."

Kiara lifts her head hopefully.

"Really? Uuuu, thank you, Calliiiii."

"Y-Yeah, whatever."

Calli looks away and opens her arms rather begrudgingly. With a sniffly whimper, Kiara waddles up and hugs her, slumping against her chest.

Calli feels her mouth doing something weird - though it's _definitely_ not a smile - as she slowly returns the embrace.

Normally she wouldn't allow such a thing to last longer than a few seconds. But considering this is a bit of a special occasion, she lets it linger.

Kiara is quiet for a moment, still sniffling a little over her shoulder. When she speaks, there's a pout clear in her tone.

"Hey, Calli?"

"Yes, Kusotori?"

"…I know we have this special relationship-"

"Not anything romantic, yes."

"Right, right, definitely not anything like that, hah hah! Er, no, well what I'm talking about right now is our relationship of how you can kill me as many times as you want and I'll always be reborn, right? And no matter how many times I'm reborn you'll always bring death to me, yes?"

"Yes, that's right. We do have quite a unique relationship."

"Yeah…" Kiara lowers her gaze a bit. "But what I want to know is, like… you'd never kill me like _that_ , right Calli? I mean not in a mean way. Like, you wouldn't suddenly betray me after I trusted you with something really important? Killing me if I do something stupid and _deserve_ to die is different, right? Then I kind of earned it myself." She pauses, squeezing her a little harder. "So you wouldn't do it in a mean way, right? Like just to hurt me…?"

Calli doesn't even take the time to think over a reaper-like response on this one. She just answers honestly.

"No, no! Of course not! I mean, yes, like you said, sometimes you do stupid things and endanger your life and I have no _choice_ but to kill you. But I would never do it just because I want to hurt you. I may, arguably, be a bit of a sadist, but I'm not a _total_ jerk."

Kiara actually cracks a little laugh.

"Yeah, you're definitely not. You might act all tough and stuff, but you're actually a real softie, Calli~ And not just your personality, but like, physically too. You're so sooooft~"

"All right, that's enough hugging."

"Aww okaaay."

They ease apart, and Calli is relieved to see she seems a bit better now. But if there's one thing she's gotten good at over the past few months of spending time with her, it's reading her body language. Her shoulders are still a little slumped and her gaze keeps dropping to the floor. But even so, Kiara tries to put on a smile.

"Well, it's pretty late now. You should probably go. Be careful on your way home, okay?"

"Right…" Calli turns, prepared to head for the door. But she can't shake off the thing that's been bugging her ever since they finished the game. With a groan she turns back to Kiara. "Y'know actually, on second thought… I think I'll spend the night."

Kiara snaps her head up right away. There's a confused and also suggestively-hopeful look in her eyes.

"Huh? _Huuuh?_ "

"Now before you go getting all crazy, I don't mean it _like that_ , okay? I'm only saying it because you still seem a little down, Kusotori. I don't want to leave you by yourself tonight."

"Ooouu, Calli~!"

"Or I could just go."

"Eh eh, no nononoooooo Calli please staayyy."

"Just try to behave yourself, Kusotori."

"I will, I wiiiill~!"

"All right, then."

Kiara brightens a considerable amount. Calli hopes her offer to stay the night had distracted her from the sadder thoughts.

"Ahhh, okay, um…"

Kiara glances around the room. She looks to her bed, then to Calli, and to the bed, and back again. Calli can tell she's really trying to reel herself in.

"Ahhh okay, so since you're the guest you can sleep on my bed, okay? I can go on the couch."

"Hmm, now hold on," Calli stops her. "Normally, as I've mentioned, if I were the host, I would agree to those arrangements. I always take the couch and give the guest my bed, right? But that's if the sleepover is planned ahead of time and I know I'll be having a guest. I think, in this case, it wouldn't be fair of me to suddenly invite myself to stay and then take your bed, Kiara. It just doesn't feel right."

"Huh? So then _you_ wanna take the couch?"

Calli chews her lip, trying to configure her thoughts.

"Again, under normal circumstances, I would have to agree to that. But as I said, the whole point of me wanting to stay over tonight is so that you won't have to be alone, Kusotori. So if I were to sleep in a separate room, it would be rather pointless for me to stay over at all, wouldn't you agree?"

Kiara tries to wrap her head around what's being said.

"Wait so like, you don't wanna sleep in my bed _or_ on the couch? So you wanna sleep on the floor?"

"I suppose that would be the most logical option in this case, yes."

"Ehhhh? No, no, no, I can't let my Calli sleep on the floor!"

"Who said I was 'yours'?"

Kiara doesn't hear her because she's too busy fretting now, sounding more like a clucking chicken than ever.

"No, no, no, nononono you can't sleep on the floor, that's so uncomfortable, right? Plus, it's cooold!"

"I don't mind the elements, Kiara."

"Nooooo! Since it's my house I make the rules, and the rules say no Callis sleeping on the floor!"

"Well with the given criteria, I really don't see any other option."

"Uuuu…" Kiara clings to her arm pleadingly and shakes her head. "Noooo… Calli, sleep on the bed with me."

"Hah?"

"I'll behave myself, I proooomiiiiise! I won't do anything like I did with our SIMS characters."

"You- wait, what?"

"Nothing! Nothing happened!"

"Not gonna lie, you're bein' kinda sus."

"Noooo~"

In the past, Calli might've felt a hint of annoyance at her antics. But over time, hearing Kiara's playful comments had begun to make her smile. For now, she's just relieved Kiara seems to be feeling a little better.

With an exuberant little bounce, Kiara grabs hold of both of Calli's hands and leads her over to the bed.

"Come on, come on! Uwaah yaaay, we're gonna sleep together! I'm gonna sleep with Calli!"

"Hey, don't make it weird! That's a very misleading way of phrasing it."

"Haaah, but it's true~"

"I mean, technically, I guess so…" With a sigh, Calli bends down to remove her shoes, and Kiara eagerly does the same.

"Ooooohmygosh what should we do? Like, how should we lie down and stuff? Ouh! Can we spoon? Can you spoon me, Calli? Wait but I kinda wanna spoon _you_... Eh, wait but I also wanna see your face and look into your eyes and stuff."

Calli refrains from responding right away and instead draws in a deep breath, then lets it out slowly.

_I'm doing this for Kusotori. Gotta make her feel better._

After a moment of coaching herself, Calli tries to speak levelly.

"You can do… whatever is most comfortable for you, Kusotori. Within reason!" she adds quickly.

"Within reason, huh? Well my reasoning might be a little different than your reasoning, hah hah hah!"

Calli has to admit she's happy to hear that wheezing little laugh again. She draws in another deep breath and lets it out.

"Just… don't do anything too weird, all right?"

"Uwaah-hah~!" Kiara throws her arms around Calli in a hug, nuzzling into her shoulder. "Ah, but for real, don't worry, Calli. I won't do anything like that."

"Good."

"Just getting to lie down in the same bed with you is a dream come true~"

"All right, so are we going to talk about it all night, or are we actually gonna do it?"

" _Do it?_ "

"You're making it weird again!"

"Aaaah, I'm sorryyyy!"

Calli heaves another sigh, glancing down at the girl still affectionately nuzzling her upper arm. She realizes the spikes on her cape might prove problematic if they're going to be sleeping so closely; normally she wouldn't have to consider other people while sleeping, so this is a first.

Slowly, Calli begins sliding off her cape from her shoulders. Kiara freezes, then lets out an inhuman gasp.

"Calli? C-Calli, why are you stripping-?"

"Wha-? I'm not!"

"You told _me_ not to make things weird but _you're_ stripping on my bed!"

"I'm not stripping! I'm removing my cape so the spikes don't hurt you, you idiot!"

"Wah-! Oh ohh okay that makes sense. Hah hah! Thank you, Calli~ You're so considerate~"

"Uh-huh."

Kiara hugs her arm and nestles up close to her for another minute, and Calli does some more therapeutic breathing. Once Kiara has gotten it out of her system for the moment, she sits up straight again.

"Okay Calli, you should lie down however is comfortable for you. What position do you sleep in? Are you a stomach-sleeper or a side-sleeper or do you do that mummy-pose where you cross your arms over your chest or-?"

"I'll stop you right there," Calli says calmly. "It's your house and your bed, Kusotori. So you should lie down however you like and I'll adjust. Sound good?"

"Ehhhh, but you're my guest!"

"Right." Calli pats Kiara on the shoulder. "But the reason I'm staying is to make sure you're all right. So just do whatever is best for you, okay?"

Kiara blinks up at her with those rather dazzling orange-and-purple-and-skrellington eyes for a moment, her mouth hanging open just a little bit.

"Calli… you're such an ikemen."

"Hah?"

"Nothing!"

"I swear sometimes you really make me crave my own death."

"Noooo~!"

With this, Kiara dives sideways onto her bed, giggling as she kicks the blankets down and tries to wrestle her way under them. Calli heaves yet another sigh and follows very slowly. Kiara pats the mattress enthusiastically.

"Here, here, Calli here!"

"I know, Kusotori. I'm coming."

"Ooooh- _haah_ -?!"

"Gah! Stop it!"

"Okay, okay I'm sorryyyy! I'm forever in the bottom-left!"

Calli just barely manages to maintain her hold on her final thread of sanity as she lies down. With the bed being meant for one person, it's no surprise that it's a little cramped and that she has to make contact with Kiara in multiple ways.

And Kiara giggles and chuckles every time their knees bump or their arms brush or anything touches anything else.

It becomes very clear very quickly that neither one of them is going to find any comfort at all if they try to stay apart, and Calli has to remind herself that the whole point of subjecting herself to such soft torture is to cheer Kiara up.

When she finally dares to glance downward, Kiara peeks up at her.

"Ah hah hah, I can't believe we're having a real sleepover and we're sleeping in the same bed together! Do you think we should tell our fans?"

"Uh, possibly. I'm not really sure. They'd probably implode. Actually, that could be good for me. Feeling so many souls descending into the Underworld at once could be nice."

"Hheehee, Calli you're so funny~ Quiet the sadist, mmhm."

There's a moment of quiet as Kiara wiggles around a little, clearly doing her best not to just start smothering Calli all at once. But it isn't much longer before she finally breaks.

"Mmm, Calli~? Can I hug yoooou?"

There it is.

Calli heaves her umpteenth sigh.

"Honestly, I'm rather impressed you managed to restrain yourself for _this_ long. Fine."

"Really?!"

"Yes, Kusotori."

"Auh! Ooohh my gosh I get to hug Calli in my own bed! Is this the real life or is it just fantasy?"

"Unfortunately it's real."

"Aww, you say that but you're enjoying it too, right?"

"Not really."

"Aww, it's okay to be shy, Calliiii~"

With permission granted, Kiara squeals and wiggles her arms around Calli's torso, pulling herself in close. She doesn't stop squeaking for a second as she nuzzles her face against her collar.

Calli feels a tingling run down her spine at the unfamiliar sensation of being touched so much and so closely, but she eventually manages to drape her arms gently over Kiara's back.

Meanwhile, Kiara continues voicing her feelings of complete bliss.

"Aaahhh, Calli you're so sooooooft~ Like your hair and your skin and your chest - well, of course _that's_ soft hah hah! But like not just your boobs, but like _all_ of you!"

"Gee, thanks."

"And you're really warm, toooo~! I didn't think a reaper would be so warm, cuz you know so many people associate death with being cold and stuff-"

"Kiara."

"Hah, what?"

"Are we ever going to sleep?"

"Aaah, but this is my first time sleeping with you! In a very non-sexual way, of course, but still!"

Calli sighs again.

"I think we should try to get some rest. We had a long stream tonight and we've both got a lot of work to do tomorrow."

"Mmm okay, yeah you're right."

"Thank you. So just try to relax and go to sleep, okay?"

"Okaay~ Heehee, Calli you really are such a softie~ In so many ways!"

"So I've been told."

Another beat of silence ensues, and Calli tries not to enjoy Kiara's warm scent too much. She always thought she smells like sunshine and a hint of friend chicken.

Even in the darkness, Kiara's bright orange hair is softly aglow in Calli's line of sight, and she soon feels its feathery softness tickle her chin as Kiara inches a little closer. She isn't all that surprised to hear her talk again.

"Hey Calli?"

"What is it, Kusotori?"

Kiara hesitates, making little bashful pouty noises and twiddling her fingers through Calli's hair.

"I think some ASMR would help me fall asleep."

Calli blinks.

"So uh, do you want me to rap you a lullaby ooor…?"

"Heh, no, no, silly!" Kiara lifts her face a little so she can look at her properly. "I was wondering if I could mmmaybe… like listen to your heartbeat?"

"Oh. Um… s-sure, I guess? If that would help."

"Yaaaay! Oh my gosh wait, I don't even think I'm ready-"

"I mean, then don't."

"NOO wait I'm readyyy!"

Kiara latches onto her, locking both arms around her back and burrowing her face into Calli's chest before she can change her mind. Calli gives a deadpan stare at the wall for a minute as Kiara gets situated while continuously cooing to herself about various things.

When she's finally done, Kiara grows still, finding the most comfortable way to rest her head on Calli's collar. She closes her eyes and listens closely to the faint pulse underneath.

"Aaaahhh, Calli~ It's so nice! Your heart sounds so pretty!"

Calli isn't exactly sure how to respond.

"Um, thanks? I-I guess."

"Hee hee! That tickles! When you talk I can feel the vibrations of your voice! Calli's chest go _brrrrrt_."

"Kiara- guh, you're ridiculous."

"Haah hah! Calli, your heart's going even faster now!"

"What?"

"You're so cuuuuute!"

"I am not-! Gaah!"

"Eheeheee! Calli~ Calliiii~"

Calli gripes and grumbles a few things, but finds she doesn't really mean any of them. Hearing Kiara giggle and squeal so lightly again after their stressful and sad game is music to her ears - the best ASMR _she_ could ever ask for.

So she lets Kiara have her fun, and maybe she lets herself enjoy it a little, too.

Once Kiara stop giggling, she's quiet maybe for a whopping 12 seconds before she's talking again, though her tone is a bit softer this time.

"Hmm, y'know," she mumbles. "To be quite honest, I wasn't even sure if you _had_ a heartbeat or not, Calli."

"Huh? Oh. Well I guess it could be confusing," she agrees. "I may bring death unto others, but I suppose I, myself, am alive. Or at least this body still remembers what that's like, so it's still behaving as if it were."

"Yeah…" Kiara sighs. "It's really nice and comforting."

Calli dares to lift one of her hands and slowly pets it through Kiara's fluffy hair and down her back.

"That's good. I'm glad you're feeling a bit better."

"Yeah~ A _lot_ better! Thank you, Calli~"

"Don't mention it, Kusotori."

Kiara falls silent for another few minutes, and this time Calli really thinks they might be going to bed. But of course it still can't be that simple with this lovable idiot.

"You know," Kiara says. "You did so much to help me relax tonight, Calli. I wanna do something for you, too!"

"Kiara, it's honestly fine. If you could just get some rest, that would be more than enough for me. Mmhm!"

"Calli, you're so sweet~" Kiara gives her a squeeze. "How about I let you listen to my heartbeat too? You're always overworking yourself and stuff so maybe that could help you relax a bit for once."

Calli tenses up just a little.

"W-What? Me? Listen to your- your heartbeat?"

"Yeah, yeah! I want you to feel relaxed and comfy too! It's the best ASMR you could ask for at night when you're trying to fall asleep!"

Calli is at a loss. As an immortal being, this is the closest she's ever come to feeling like her soul is leaving her body.

"I… I mean I… guess…?"

"Yeah! Yeah! I wanna hold you close to me, Calli~" Kiara gives her puppy-dog eyes and pouts with a hopeful spark in her gaze.

Calli blinks a few more times to confirm this isn't just some weird dream.

"I'm not drunk, right? I don't remember having any wine tonight. So if I'm not drunk I honestly haven no idea why I'm agreeing to this, but… all right I guess. If that's what will make you happy tonight, Kiara."

"Yes yes yes! Making _you_ happy will make _me_ happy, Calli!"

Calli eases back from her a bit awkwardly as Kiara opens her arms wide and invitingly. The reaper slides herself down a bit, reversing their prior positions. She inches closer, feeling Kiara wrap her arms around her shoulders and stroke her fingers through her hair excitedly.

Calli steels herself before covering the last bit of distance, carefully resting her head against Kiara's chest.

Almost instantly, she can hear the gleeful little squeak Kiara gives as she hugs her close, pretty much purring with delight at this point. But past the vibrations of her hums and coos, Calli can hear a faint pulse as well.

It's strange, really. All of a sudden she finds herself seeking it out even more, wanting to shift a little and move around a bit so she can hear it better. She only stops when she's found the place where it beats strongest, and presses her ear a little more flush up against Kiara's collar. She listens, feeling her own pulse trying to match with hers.

There's a tiny laugh from above her.

"Teeheh, Calli, are you comfortable? How does it sound?"

Kiara was right; Calli really can feel all the vibrations of her voice.

But for some reason, she feels like she can't process thoughts as effectively as she could a few minutes earlier, so she ends up stammering.

"H-Huh? Oh. I-I mean it sounds fine. Just like anyone else's, I guess…"

She says as much, but she doesn't necessarily think that's the case.

As a reaper - even if she is currently on hiatus - she's been at the scene of plenty of deaths. Most of them within the past few years, especially.

And that includes Kiara's, of course.

She's been there for all of Kiara's final moments, her final heartbeats. She's ended her life herself a few times, in fact.

But it's never too long before there's a burst of flames and life from that pile of ashes, and Kiara is restored to exactly how she'd been before she died.

Even so, thinking about it now makes Calli a little… conflicted.

Although it's her duty to reap souls, and even though Kiara will always come right back to life, she suddenly doesn't like considering the possibility that the pulse beneath her ear right now could come to an abrupt or premature end.

Thinking about it makes her stomach feel tight, so she just listens a little closer to confirm the reality that Kiara is alive and well right now.

She listens for a few minutes, and even though it's the same exact rhythm over and over and over again, she somehow never gets sick of it. She keeps wanting to hear it again, more and more…

"Calli?" Kiara murmurs. "Did you fall asleep already?"

"Huh? No. I was just…"

"What?" Kiara threads her fingers through Calli's hair some more. "Are you cold or something?"

"No. It's just…" Calli isn't sure what comes over her, but thinking about Kiara's death - a _real_ death - makes her feel restless, like she isn't in the right state of mind. "Kiara… You won't die, right? Like… not permanently."

"Huh? Of course not, silly! I mean, yeah, I'll die _plenty_ of times like I always do, hah hah! But I'll always come back! I'm a phoenix and that's what phoenixes do! We always come back and we rise up no matter what! Not even death can keep us down! Heh, so in a way I guess that means I'm stronger than you, Calli~"

Calli is still submerged in her melancholy, to the point where she lets the comment slide. She's just glad to hear Kiara confirm what she already knew.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're right. You'll always come back to me, Kiara-"

"Ah!"

"Oops."

But she realizes it's already too late.

Kiara gives her a huge, crushing squeeze.

"You said 'to me' just now! You said I'd always come back to _you_ , Calli!"

"I didn't mean that!"

"Do you miss me when I'm dead? Do you feel sad? Are you anxiously waiting every second it takes for me to come back?"

"Gah- No! Absolutely not!"

"Calli, do you like meee~?"

"I'll kill you right now, Kusotori."

"Ehh? Waaah nnnoooooo~ I'm so comfyyy! You can't kill me when we're snuggling in my own bed!"

"Guh…"

Calli doesn't even have the strength or the willpower to try and pry herself away from her now. Kiara was right; it really is too comfortable.

So Calli just clams up and begrudgingly keeps (secretly) enjoying herself as she listens to Kiara's heartbeat. It bounces and dances along with her laughter - probably the happiest and nicest sound Calli has ever heard. But she'd never tell Kiara that. Ever.

Kiara laughs to herself a moment longer before catching her breath and nestling her face into Calli's hair again, resting her chin on top of her head.

"Calli~ My Mori~ You don't like thinking about me dying and not coming back - that's so sweet! You wanted to stay tonight to make me feel better, and now it looks like _I_ need to make _you_ feel better~ I don't mind, of course!"

"I… ugh…" Calli knows by this point that literally anything she says can and will be used against her in a court of Kiara's Law to Constantly Find a Way to Make Any Situation Fluffy and Sweet and Romantic.

So she just stops talking for now and keeps listening to the calming sound of her pulse.

Kiara eventually reels herself in again and gives a deep, content sigh. She pulls Calli close for another hug. Calli subtly hugs her waist in return.

"Just go to sleep, Kiara."

"Maybe we should read that book? _Go the Fok to Sleep_?"

"Kiara."

"Mm okay, you're right, you're right."

Kiara exhales again, and this time it turns into a yawn. She makes a few cute humming noises as she closes her eyes, and Calli hears each and every one of them up close and personal in the back of her throat. But she can also hear Kiara's heart rate steadily slowing down a little.

Calli closes her eyes and listens, committing the rhythm to memory. Maybe she'll write a song based off of it somehow…

Her thoughts drift off when Kiara makes one last hum for the night.

"Mm, goodnight, Calli. Thank you for staying with me."

In spite of herself, Calli hugs her a bit more.

"Don't mention it. Goodnight, Kiara."

Kiara makes a few more tired little sounds before she finally dozes off.

Calli stays awake a little longer to listen to her breathe, which has a calming effect on her as well. And she maintains her perfect spot in listening to her pulse; that steady, consistent rhythm that is Kiara's life and Kiara's alone.

No matter how many times Calli will see the end of her life, Kiara will always return as brightly as ever.

Together, they embody the eternal forces that equate to all the rest of existence, the things that allow all other things to be, or not to be.

Life and death had and will always be bound together - inseparable - whether they like it or not.

And honestly, cuddled up against the soft, cozy warmth of a phoenix tonight, Calli doesn't think that being bound to her for all eternity would be the worst thing in the world.

* * *

**A/N: Ahhhh how did I do? Please be gentle~ (is sent to bottom-left).**

**Ahaha but for real, originally I just wanted to do Calli comforting Kiara after the game when she was sad but then I thought of heartbeat ASMR and I lost my mind so yeah that had to happen too ahhaa**

**It was so fun to write this! In all other fanfics there's never much rhyme or reason for gamer-talk or millennial references to memes or things like that, so this was so fun! I really liked trying to describe the noises Kiara makes. I hope you could figure out a few of them.**

**I'm just a sucker for gay ships with life-death symbolism. Wow.**

**Please leave comments or kudos!**


	2. Chapter 2.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiara suffers a bout of homesickness, and Calli isn't about to sit idly by.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... my first fic for them got so many kind comments?! I'm so thrilled you think I did all right with writing this sort of thing! So I decided to do some more!
> 
> Unfortunately it's sort of a similar idea in terms of hurt/comfort, but I had specific points I wanted to make!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with Hololive characters or persons in any way.

Chapter 2.

It'd turned out to be a pretty busy day for Calli. Not in a bad or super exhausting way, but just to the point where she'd had a lot of things to do and little time to do them.

But like she always does, she'd figured out a way to get everything finished efficiently.

She'd dealt with some official work-related things, then spent several hours on her music and recordings, on top of making various phone calls to various people for various reasons. By the evening, once she's checked and re-checked that everything is actually really assuredly and without-a-doubt _done_ , she allows herself some chill time during her stream. Even that's work, of course, but she decides not to take things too seriously.

After hours of having to consider situations where the ends needed to justify the means, spending a few hours playing something fun and mindless like Mario Cart was the perfect solution. As much as she enjoys the type of games where your actions will affect the outcome, today is definitely a day for not needing to think too much.

She goes through the usual processes of stream prep and setup, then takes a sip of wine before starting the stream and watching the viewership number skyrocket.

And from there on, she was certain tonight would just be like any other stream.

She isn't doing a collab this time, just racing with fans and going through the usual good-vibes chatting. Though there are plenty of yells and curses and noises of acute frustration, she's having a ton of fun.

She's just finished what was probably her tenth or eleventh race in 8th place.

"All right," she says to her chat. "Not bad, I'll take it. I mean, when I first started out I definitely got dead last a few times. Which I guess is sort of appropriate for me, considering my occupation. But recently I've been averaging around 7th or 8th. And then of course there're those flukes where I'll be 4th or something crazy like that."

She reads over the chat and watches some more superchats come in, skimming the messages of support.

"Haha! All right next round. You know the rules, Deadbeats. If you've already played with me, please leave the lobby to give others a turn. Thank you!"

As she waits for the next lobby to fill, she scans chat again.

_Nice_

_You're getting so good at this!_

_Thanks for the race!_

_nice_

_this is so fun_

_Yes daddy_

_yay for 8th place!_

It's the usual stuff, and Calli takes another sip of wine as she keeps an eye on the screen.

It's then when one particular message catches her eye briefly before it's swallowed up in the endless flow of chat.

_Kiara is sad rn… :c_

Calli feels a tiny pang of worry in her chest, but brushes it off quickly. They probably mean it as in, 'Kiara isn't as good at this game, so the fact that Calli got a better place than her would make her pout right now.' She tries not to dwell on it too much and takes another sip of her wine.

But then, after dozens of more fun messages about the stream, she sees Kiara's name come up again.

_Poor Kiara_

And again, Calli just assumes they mean it in a gaming sense.

But then there's a third comment.

_Hugs for Kiara!_

And twice could be considered harmless. But three times is enough to have Calli's heart twisting.

She straightens up and gives her full attention to this.

"Hey, guys? What's up with Kiara? I know she's streaming Minecraft right now, right? Is she okay?"

Waiting those few seconds for the chat delay to catch up has never been quite so nerve-inducing as it is now. But when the explanations do start coming in, Calli bites her lip as she reads them.

_She's just really sad rn_

_shes getting all choked-up_

_Yeah, she's really homesick again_

A whole flood of comments come in now, but that's all Calli needs to know.

On one hand, she's super relieved it's nothing serious where Kiara had gotten physically hurt somehow.

But even something like the sadness of being homesick is still a big deal. Especially for Kiara, who Calli knows so well.

Even though people categorize her as the bright and bubbly energetic type - which she really tends to be most of the time - Calli knows that there are two sides to that coin. For however lively and bright Kiara can be when she's happy, she'll be equally as upset and affected when she's sad.

And the topic of her homesickness has been coming up quite a bit recently with her being in the final stretch before finally moving back to Australia.

Calli has made sure to show nothing but support for her, and that's how she truly feels. Of course she's going to miss Kiara terribly, but if her moving back home means she won't have to be so sad like this so often, Calli can't wait for her to go.

Even now, she can't focus with this in her head. The game lobby is full and ready for the next race, and it takes the chat a lot of messages to get her to realize they're eager to begin.

"Oh! Sorry. My bad. Let's go, Deadbeats." Calli hopes she doesn't sound as deflated as she's feeling now.

She starts the next race, but all the while she finds it harder and harder to stay focused and keep up the fun-loving atmosphere. Thinking about Kiara crying alone in her apartment really rubs her the wrong way.

Calli comes in dead last in the race, and the viewers are already onto her.

_Aw last place_

_ggs_

_You wanna keep going Calli?_

_Worried about Kiara?_

And normally, Calli would do her utmost best not to let things affect her streams and her energy. Thousands of people come to her every stream to specifically to _escape_ these kinds of stressors and sad feelings, and the last thing she wants to do is make people upset or let them down.

But this…

This is important. To her, at least.

This is _Kiara_.

So Calli draws in a deep breath and tells her chat the truth.

"Yeah… listen Deadbeats…"

Already, comments are flying in.

_You should call her!_

_Your wife is sad!_

_Go to her!_

Calli smiles just a little bit.

"I'm really sorry, guys. I think I'm gonna end stream here. Something came up."

_Yes!_

_Omg!_

_Don't worry we wont tell her~_

_We understand COMPLETELY!_

_Yes yes YES! GO CALLI!_

Calli is already putting things away and getting to her feet.

"You guys know I wouldn't end stream like this if it wasn't important. I really hate to let you guys down, but I think the vast majority of you would do the same thing if you were in my position."

_YAS QUEEN_

_GOGOGOOGOO_

_Ah omg I love this!_

_Calli really loves Kiara!_

_TAKAMORI_

Calli clears her throat.

"I'll make it up to you guys, I promise. Next stream will be twice as long. Sorry if you were looking forward to it tonight. I'll make sure the next one is even more fun, all right? I'll read superchats next time as well. Sorry for the abrupt end, but I'll be signing off now. Check ya later!"

She ends the stream as the chat fills with supportive and encouraging comments.

As she heads for the door, Calli shuts everything down, because she doesn't really plan on coming back tonight.

* * *

Kiara doesn't even know what happened, really.

She'd just been playing Minecraft as normally as ever, and the topic of talking about the different types of land and areas had come up. And once she'd started talking about them in-game, she naturally followed the tangent of discussing different places she'd visited in real life.

And of course, the talk about all her travels had brought her mind and her heart directly back to thoughts of home.

Right now, her chat is full of orange hearts and supportive comments and superchats of people expressing their love. Kiara frantically waves her hands in front of her face and sniffles over and over.

"Ah-! Geez, I don't even know what happened, you guys. I'm sorry... I need a tissue…" She pulls one from a box on her desk and turns away to blow her nose, only to realize more tears are brimming over. She sniffles more. "Ah, c-can you guys give me a minute? I need to go wash my face a little bit. I'll be right back!"

She does her best to keep sounding cheerful as well, as she fully intends to continue her stream. But for the moment, she hurries into the bathroom, cupping warm water into her palms and splashing her face with it. She sobs a little harder now that she's away from the mic, and just has to hope the sound doesn't carry that far.

She turns off the water and buries her face into a towel, trying to shake herself off a bit.

"Ah… Okay. I'm good, I can do this."

She breathes in deeply, then makes her way back to her computer and sits down. The chat is flying with more hearts and things like "Gambatte, Tenchou!" and "we love you!" and "just a little longer, you got this!"

She smiles a wobbly smile, but then the tears come all over again.

"Aha… oh no, I-I'm so sorry you guys… ahhh…"

The faces of her family members flash through her mind, as well as memories of her childhood home, the yard she used to play in, the room she slept in every night, the places she went to school and grew up…

"Ahhh yabai- Okay, I'm gonna try to keep playing you guys, don't worry! We've only been going a few hours, we can do a little more, I'd say."

More sniffles, more tissues, and another deep breath to steel herself.

"Okay! Let's do this! I wanted to build something over here… Ahh, thank you guys, you're always so sweet! I'm all right! I'm-" Her voice wavers just a little bit, but she hopes no one notices.

But before she can try to refocus on her game, Kiara jolts slightly at the sound of knocks on her front door.

"Huh- wu-wuh? Ah, I'm sorry, hold on guys I think there's someone at the door? Did I order anything for delivery? I can't remember. Or maybe they are just lost or something?" Kiara uses another tissue to wipe her faces off as much as possible, then gets up. "Sorry guys, I will be right back!"

She hurries off, wiping her arm across her face a few more times before she reaches the door. Drawing in a deep breath, she clears her throat and puts on a smile.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

Kiara opens the door slowly and peeks out. She nearly stumbles over when she sees who it is.

"Wha-! _Calli?_!"

Standing before her is none other than her favorite reaper, carrying a plastic bag on one wrist. Calli smiles.

"Surprise, Kusotori!"

"Wah! B-But- wh-what are you doing here, I don't understand!? Weren't you streaming tonight? What's going on-?" All of the sad feelings are momentarily pushed aside as a much warmer and happier joy swirls around in her chest. But since she'd already cried so much before, her eyes feel watery all over again. "Calli-"

"Come on, Kusotori," Calli says, lifting her arms.

Kiara blinks.

"Eh? Wh-What does that mean?"

"It's all right, Kiara. We both know you wanna hug me, right?"

Kiara is still trying to process the fact that Calli had appeared at her front door, let alone the fact that she's actually offering hugs right now. Her jaw hangs open like a fish out of water's, and she flounders for words.

"I… wh- Calli, you-? What?"

"Come on, Kiara." Calli's tone softens now as she takes a step closer. There's something very gentle and sincere in her eyes, something that tells Kiara she knows exactly what's going on. A fresh surge of tears rises up all at once.

"Oh…" Kiara blinks and feels them spilling out, stinging and heavy. "Calli-"

Calli keeps smiling, but it's really killing her to see Kiara like this. So she takes the first step - literally - and walks into the doorway to slowly wrap her arms around her.

Kiara hiccups, but the second she realizes what's happening and that this _isn't_ just a dream, and that Calli is _actually_ here in front of her now, hugging her so softly-

Kiara bursts into a loud wail and throws both arms around her, letting her voice out in a caterwaul.

Calli readily catches her, keeping her steady on her feet.

"Aw geez, Kusotori... I didn't know it was this bad…"

She's relieved she'd caught wind of this and decided to come over. If she hadn't, she knows Kiara would've pushed herself to continue her stream while keeping all of this bottled up, and probably would've just cried by herself all night long after the stream was over.

Calli keeps her close, slowly stepping inside and closing the door behind herself.

Kiara continues crying loudly enough that Calli wonders if the stream can hear her; she knows she'll never hear the end of this either way, but she's honestly fine with that. She knows all of the people online support Kiara just as much as Calli herself does, meaning they're just as worried about her as well. Since Calli is the only person who can actually physically come to her for now, she does her part on everyone's behalf - and because she really wants to as well.

Calli keeps her close for a few minutes, putting her pride and all of that staged aloofness aside to pet through Kiara's hair and down her back. She's witnessed and partaken in plenty of heart-wrenching deaths, but nothing hurts Calli more than seeing Takanashi Kiara seriously cry.

Kiara bawls softy into her shoulder, shaking as she tries to get ahold of herself. She didn't even realize how bad it was util she had someone right in front of her offering a hug and a shoulder to cry on.

"Calliii…" Her voice is thick and miserable, but she's really, really unspeakably happy to see her. "I'm sorry… I've just been trying _so_ hard not to think about it for so long... so when just a little bit slipped through, it all suddenly came out at once…"

"Hey, hey…" Calli has to hold her up with how much Kiara is quivering now. "I get it. It's all right, Kiara. I know this has been really tough for you. I'm glad you could let it out a bit."

Kiara sniffles harder and harder, swallowing and trying to catch her breath as more sobs tumble out. Calli rubs her back gently, resting her head against Kiara's.

"There, there. You've worked really hard all this time and everyone knows it, Kiara. You've been pushing yourself so much and holding a lot of things in. I know we keep saying it, but it'll just be for a little longer. You'll be home soon."

Hearing those words really is comforting for Kiara, but they also make her break down all over again.

After several minutes have passed, Calli slowly brings Kiara back to her room, helping her sit down on the bed. She puts down the bag she'd brought along and goes to Kiara's desk, where thousands of people are flooding her chat with love and support. Calli knows Kiara is out-of-commission for the rest of the night, so she takes the liberty of addressing the stream now.

"Hey, KFP. Guess who? Uh, so yeah I made a surprise visit to Kiara's place and we decided we're gonna do some stuff together. Sorry about that, but she's gonna be ending the stream here, all right? Thanks you guys!"

As more and more support pours in at mach speed, Calli leans in closer to the mic and whispers,

"Don't worry, I'll take care of her."

And with that she ends the stream and shuts everything off.

She turns back to Kiara, who's sitting on the bed still wiping her eyes. Calli returns to her side and puts an arm around her, letting Kiara lean against her side.

"Sorry for totally taking over and ending your stream. But I think you need to take a breather."

Kiara sniffles some more and nods.

"Yeah… Thank you, Calli."

"You've been putting up with it a lot. But it's all right to express how you're really feeling, especially if you're sad or tired."

Kiara gives her a little pout.

"Look who's talking."

"Ah, I guess you're right." Calli smiles sheepishly, and Kiara manages just a tiny smile back.

Calli wordlessly opens her arms again, and Kiara slips right into them, their usual antics absent in the face of this more genuine, human moment.

Kiara stays close to her for a long time, and Calli lets her for as long as she needs to. Once the hiccups and sobs have finally started to die down, Kiara eases back.

"Uuugh… I bet I look like a mess right now, huh?"

"Perhaps. But it's fine. This is _your_ place and _your_ room, after all."

"I guess that's true. But for real though, weren't you streaming, Calli? I know you had a lot of stuff to do today and you wanted to wind down a little bit…"

"I was," Calli shrugs. "But I don't really care about that. Realizing you were upset and doing something about it was _way_ more important. I know this is probably really rude, but friends come before fans, in my book." She feels guilty just in saying it, but she really needs Kiara to know how much she cares about her.

Kiara's lip wobbles, and she just ends up hugging Calli again. Calli gives her a warm squeeze.

"I'm really glad I live close to you right now so I can come be with you. Hopefully once you go back home you won't be so sad that you'll need me to come over anymore. But of course if you did I'd hop on the next available plane, ASAP."

"Eheheh! Calli, you're so sweet… I'm really thankful to have you… I'm gonna miss you so much…"

"Me, too. But you'll be much better off overall, that's for sure. And I'm happy for you."

"Thank you, Calli…" Kiara sniffles again and inches back a little to look up into her eyes. "You know… this is gonna sound super cheesy but it's the truth…" Her orange-and-purple eyes shine with the truth. "When I'm here in Japan, being with you is the closest I feel like to being at home, Calli."

That does something. Well, all of Kiara's tears and emotions have been prickling at Calli's chest all evening, but that in particular feels different. It hurts, and yet it's warm and full of so much love.

For the first time in a long time, she feels herself tearing up too.

"I'm… really glad you feel that way, Kiara. I'm glad I could be here for you when you need it."

"And I'm _sooo_ lucky I got to meet you, Calli. It could've been anyone else, anywhere else in the world, but somehow it was _you!_ It's like the red string of fate or something."

"Yeah," Calli mumbles. "Maybe it is."

They're quiet for a little while longer, hugging one another on the bed as Kiara gradually starts to calm down. Calli can feel a damp spot from all the tears that had been shed on her shoulder, but it's starting to dry up now. She gives a few more comforting pats to Kiara's back before easing away a little.

"Are you okay, Kiara?"

Kiara sucks in another deep breath and lets it out slowly.

"Yes! I really mean it, Calli. I mean, I'm still a little sad to think about all that, but it's like… more like something to look forward to now, you know? I'm excited to go back, even if I'll really miss you. But we'll still be together and I'll come to visit a lot!"

"Of course," Calli smiles. "And who's to say I might not drop by your place sometime?"

Kiara gasps.

"Wait, really?! Oh my gosh I can introduce you to my family!"

"Uh, maybe not right away," she chuckles. "But I'd love for you to show me around the place where you grew up and stuff like that. Show me some of the best places to eat or the best wine."

"Yeah! Oh my gosh, that would be _so_ much fun!"

"I agree!"

Kiara just hugs her again to express her gratitude.

"Thank you, Calli. You didn't have to end your stream just to come over here for me."

"Um, yes, I absolutely did. And I'm sure you would've done the same for me."

"Yeah, you're right. Still, thank you... I love you so much, Calli."

This time, Calli doesn't hesitate even a little to say it back."

"Yeah. I love you too, Kusotori."

At last the tears have stopped. Calli reaches down to pick up the bag she'd brought along with her.

"Anyways, I picked up a few things at the Inconvenience Store along the way." She pulls out several baggies of snacks and treats. "I figured you could use some comfort food."

Kiara lights up.

"Ooooh! Oh my gosh, Calli, thank yooouu! Waow, there's so many!"

"And also, this." Calli reaches in to pull out a small flower pot with some orange and purple pansies in it. "I wanted to get you flowers to help cheer you up, but they didn't really have a bouquet or anything."

"Wah-!" Kiara puts down all the snacks and cups her hands together, reaching out carefully to accept the flowers. "Ah-! Calli, that is _soooo_ sweet and thoughtful of you! Oh god, I'm gonna start crying again…"

"Teehee, you can cry all you'd like, good or bad. Though of course, I'd prefer the good kind." Calli reaches out to pat Kiara's head just as a few more tears drip down her cheeks. Calli gives her another hug, then reaches behind her to pick up one of the blankets and drape it over Kiara's head. Kiara smiles.

"You know... this is kind of a lot of food, Calli. Do you think you could maybe help me with eating all of it?"

"Funny you should ask," Calli says. "I was just about to offer the same thing. And I was thinking maybe a movie to go along with it."

"Oh! Like Shrek?!"

"Shrek it is."

Kiara wiggles with delight, putting the flowers aside on the nightstand for the time being. She gathers all the food and gets comfortable against the headboard, huddled in blankets while Calli sets up the movie on the TV.

Once it starts, Calli climbs into the bed to sit beside her. Kiara cuddles up to her side and hugs her again.

And it's true that even being so far away from her birthplace, being anywhere with Calli sure does feel like home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Yeah, more hurt/comfort and fluff! I wanted to write Calli being such a good worried (girl)friend that she'd go as far as ending her livestream just to go and check on Kiara if she were sad. I feel that's something she would do, and she'd definitely bring her little gifts to cheer her up a bit. The moment she goes from "Kusotori" to "Kiara" is also something I wanted to do. No matter what we all know she really loves her, as a friend or more or whatever!
> 
> The next little chapter will be NO SADNESS I promise haha
> 
> Please leave comments or kudos!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY as promised this chapter is just fluff and cute stuff after the last 2 of somewhat angsty themes haha. It's only half the length but I hope twice the cuteness.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with Hololive characters or persons in any way.

* * *

Chapter 3.

Kiara had all but leapt out of bed this morning in all her excitement about today. She has a collab with Calli planned, where they're going to just chat with their fans and talk about a few work-related things. But just knowing that she's going to get to see her favorite person in the world today really puts her in a gung-ho mood right from the very start.

She hums and giggles to herself all morning as she showers and eats and takes care of some things online to pass the time. She doesn't need to be at Calli's place until 3pm, but she can't contain her excitement and ends up leaving early. She sends Calli a text full of heart emojis to notify her:

_I just can't wait that long to see you so I'm coming over now!_

And as she's skipping out the front door, she gets a reply:

_Heh. I anticipated this reaction from you, so I'm actually already ready for you, Kusotori._

Kiara squeals out loud and types back:

_Sasuga Calli!_

So she wastes no time in arriving at Calli's place, and the second Calli opens the door to let her in, Kiara throws her arms around her in a massive hug.

"Calliiiii~! I'm so happy to see yoooou!"

"I- gah! Kusotori, you're such a child!"

"But I'm _your_ child~! Oh no wait then that means I can't marry you. Calli, do you want to have a child with me?!"

"Already on this within the first five seconds, eh? It's gonna be a long stream…"

"Hah hah hah!"

So Calli brings her inside, and they chat and eat a bit together as they get set up.

It starts out as a pretty normal stream of chatting with and thanking their supporters while reading some superchats and talking about their upcoming streams and schedules.

It's a very normal and innocent conversation that starts it all off, really.

"Oh, oh!" Kiara says. "Calli, did you happen to see any of Korone-senpai and Miko-senpai's stream of 'A Way Out'?"

"Oh my god, yes!" Calli claps. "They didn't censor that part in the beginning!"

"Yeah, yeah! Hah hah hah! Oh my god they were _screaming!_ It was hilarious!"

"I was _dying!"_ Calli laughs. "I really thought I'd see Death myself that time! Oh man, I laughed so freaking hard."

"Ahah, really? I'd like to hear you when you laugh like that! Like when it's to the point where it's like, uncontrollable and crazy. I like your laughs a lot, Calli! They're so cute!"

"Well I don't really agree with you on that, but I suppose I enjoy _your_ laugh, Kusotori."

"Awwha, really? Guys, isn't that cute that we like each other's laughter? Isn't that so _romantic_ ~?"

"What? How in the hell is it romantic? You can like someone's laugh without it being romantic."

"Well yeah, but it's _us!_ "

"And so what?"

"Heheh, Calli, you're being all shy again~"

"Wh- I am not!"

Kiara chuckles, as this topic has definitely ignited something mischievous inside of her.

"Mmm, hey, Calli are we finished with the superchats?"

"Huh? Yeah we just finished 'em."

"Okay good! Then I need your help with something."

"Wait, right now?"

"Yes!"

"Uhm, okay."

Kiara pops up from her seat and grabs Calli's arm to pull her up as well.

"We've gotta move a little bit for it."

"Move? Move where?"

"Mmm probably to the bed would be best~"

"Hah?! Wait, why are we going to the _bed_ right now?"

"Mmm I just wanna do something together with you, Calliii~"

"Wh- Kiara we're live on-stream-! We can't do stuff like that-"

" _Ouuh?_ So you're okay with doing it _after_ the stream then~?"

"What? Guh, no! I didn't say that!"

"Don't worry, you can have me aaall to yourself afterward!"

"I don't want you!"

"Hah hah hah, Calli you're so funny! Come on, come on!"

She manages to pull Calli up out of her chair and away from the computer where the chat is, of course, going absolutely insane. Kiara brings her to the bed and has her sit down, then plops beside her. Calli is high on the defensive.

"Kusotori, what the heck are you plotting?"

"Don't worry, Calli! I think you'll enjoy it!"

"Enjoy _what?_ "

"It'll feel really good, I promise!"

" _Huh_ -?"

"Ready? Aaaaand tickle attack!"

With this, Kiara pounces on her, bowling Calli back onto the bed and pinning her. Kiara takes advantage of her victim's shock and dives right in, poking Calli's sides and wiggling her fingers all over her stomach and arms.

Calli yelps.

"Wha- _hah!_ Whoa whoa, hey! Ku-Kuso-aaah! Wait wait stop- aha!"

"See~?" Kiara purrs. "This is what I mean, Calli! You have such an adorable laugh, so I figured we'd give the stream some ASMR of it!"

"Wh-What the heck are you- _aaah!_ "

"Ouuh, that one sounded kind of lewd!"

"St-Stop it, hey-! Ahaha-!"

Calli tries to thrash around, but she'd been caught off-guard and is already pretty weak from the tingling sensation all over her now. She struggles, trying to push or grab at Kiara to knock her off. But Kiara tickles her so much so quickly that Calli can barely get any counter attempts in at all.

"Heehee, Calli, why did you think we were coming to the bed together~? Were you having some bottom-left thoughts~?"

"Of course not! I just- eeee! H-Hey, I'm really sensitive there!"

"OooOOuuh? I'll take a note of that. I wonder where else you're _sensitive_ ~ Hah hah hah!" Kiara grapples her with one hand and lightly runs her other fingers up Calli's side, making her jolt and shriek. With every laugh and noise she makes, Kiara gets more and more delighted.

"Hah hah, Calli you're really soooo cuuute! I didn't know you could make these kinds of noises! I wonder what _other_ nosies you can make~?"

"Kusotori, why you- aha! Ahaha, w-wait, hey!"

Kiara continues her attack, laughing all the while as the chat goes wild.

"Tickle fights really are fun, but it's kind of lewd, right? I mean, you gotta pin the other person down and touch them all over and assert your dominance over them. And listen to them make weird noises as they're feeling good, right?"

"Ku-Kusotori, you're making this way too weird!"

"But it does feel good, doesn't it?"

"N-No way! Ah- ahahaha!"

"Ooooh, Calli, you're not being honest, are you? Hee hee~!"

"I'll be honest -aha!- in saying I'm gonna kill you-"

"You can't do that live on-stream or you'll get in trouble~"

Kiara tickles her more as Calli continues trying to turn the tables. But by this point she's laughing so hard and so cutely she really isn't much of a threat. Kiara leans down over her until their faces almost touch and lets her feathers tickle Calli's nose and cheeks. She keeps wiggling her fingers all up and down her sides and poking her stomach repeatedly.

"Aaaah, Calli, you're so adorable~"

When she finally is satisfied with the results and feels she's heard enough of Calli's cute laughter (for now, because it would _never_ be enough), Kiara stops wiggling her fingers and just rests her hands on Calli's stomach triumphantly.

Calli is in total disarray, hair and cape ruffled, cheeks pink, and chest heaving.

Kiara bites her lip a bit.

"Oh, wow… Yabai, I don't know if this is more cute or more lewd?"

As Calli tries to catch her breath, little giggles keep slipping out. Her eyes are closed and her lips are in a constant smile. Kiara draws in a deep breath to keep herself under control.

"Oh god… huuu my god, this is really. Wow... I think at this point we kinda have to get married now."

While Kiara basks in fantasy, Calli, on the other hand, is already brewing her plan for revenge. She knows Kiara's turning to mush at the sight of her like this, so she uses that to her advantage. Calli lets out a bit of a sensual moan as she opens her eyes slowly, hazily.

"Kiara- _aah_ ~"

Kiara sputters.

" _Haaah_ , C-Calli-?"

Calli opens her mouth just a little.

"Come here."

"Eh? E-Eh?! Wh- What do you mean-?"

"Don't make me tell you a second time."

" _Hee_ -! Y-Yes, ma'am!"

Kiara gulps, not sure if she's more excited or terrified, but either way she'll probably end up experiencing some kind of nirvana within the next ten seconds. Stiffly, she leans down over Calli, trying not to pant like a dog in heat.

In contrast, Calli remains calm, collected. She folds her arms around Kiara's neck and shifts her legs beneath hers, then slowly pulls her down.

" _Closer_ ," she murmurs.

Kiara lets out a squeak like her soul is leaving her body, but she does as she's told. Calli brings her down until Kiara can feel her breath on her ear. Calli huffs into it softly, and then launches her attack.

"I'm gonna _fucking kill you_ ~"

"Eh-? _Gwaaaah!"_

Calli grabs Kiara, throws her down onto the bed, and immediately starts tickling her without mercy. Kiara screams bloody murder, but she's also enjoying it immensely.

"Aaahaha, gyyaaaaaaah-! Waaaaah uwaaahh-! C-Calli wait, oh my god- th-that was so _hot_ \- aaaahhahaha! Wait wait wait-!"

"You're done for, you- guh! You bird-brain! Say your prayers, cuz I won't let you come back this time!"

"Wait wait Calli-AAAAaaahhaha! Calli holy shit you're, like, _so_ hot right now, wait- please actually kill me, maybe? Uwaaha!"

"Actually-" Calli growls, tickling Kiara's ribs. "Y'know what, since dying would make you happy, then no. I'll keep you alive so you can _suffer_."

"Aaaahh! Hh- hh- h-honestly, that's fine too, _gyaaa_ -hah! Ravish me, Calli!"

"You are _so_ annoying, you dumb fire chicken!"

Calli attacks with twice as much force and only half the restraint Kiara had given her. Kiara thrashes and flops around and screams and squeals like she's being murdered, but in a good way somehow. Her wheezing, high-pitched laughs do draw a few smirks from Calli too, but she's careful not to let Kiara get any of her own attacks in again.

Calli goes off, tickling Kiara and making her shriek and not giving a damn about the fact that 40 thousand people are listening to them live right now. It's actually a pretty effective and mostly harmless way of expressing her exasperation with her - though she _might_ actually be tempted to kill her, just once.

But at least for now she manages to refrain from that extreme.

Kiara's screams fill the room at all octaves, mixed with laughter and gasps and pleas for help.

But Calli doesn't show her any mercy. Not until Kiara is in tears from all the laughter, and so weak it makes Calli feel like she might've gone just a _bit_ overboard, even for her. Finally she withdraws, leaving Kiara a mush of hyperventilating, high-pitched wheezes of her name.

"Hoo… ho my god, _Calli_ … ahahaha… haaaaa…"

Calli blushes at her little moans and has to quickly look away.

"That's what you get for ambushing me like that."

"Haaah… aaaah…. I mean… if it means you'll tickle me like that again, I'll do it every time I see you~"

"I'll _actually_ kill you next time."

"That might not be so bad~"

"You're so-! Agh!" Calli gets up and leaves her there, but turning to the monitor turns out being a bad idea with all the suggestive things people are saying, even if it does make her smile in amusement. She hears another wheeze from the bed.

"Calli… ahaha, I can't get up… Everything hurts from laughing so hard…"

Calli heaves a huge sigh and goes back to help her sit up. Kiara slouches against her and sighs.

"Ahh… I think this time I really went to heaven~"

"Yes, please go there and as far away from the Underworld and me as possible."

"Hehee, no way. With all the naughty things I've said and thought about, I'm _definitely_ going to your place, Calli~"

"Ugh…"

"Heee…" Kiara nuzzles into her shoulder. "But it was really nice to hear you laugh like that, Calli~ I mean it! I love your laugh! I love it when you're so happy!"

The purity of the comment catches Calli off-guard and she doesn't turn away fast enough to hide her blush. Kiara squeals.

"Kyaaa! Calli, you're blushing!"

"Where's my scythe…"

But of course, in spite of the mild aggravation that arises from Calli whenever they're together, what wins out in the end are always the smiles and the laughs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'll be honest I just want this to happen irl one day haha. Also their laughter really is so precious and I had fun writing and imagining it~
> 
> Please leave comments or kudos!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a minute since I could write Takamori again, but I wrote this for after their trip together was revealed, though it's a bit late now...
> 
> Back to the hurt/comfort genre.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I affiliated with Hololive characters or persons in any way.

Chapter 4.

"Uuuuu…"

"You all right there, Kusotori?"

"Nnngh… I feel like I was hit by a train..."

"Well, considering what happened, that's quite understandable."

Their little getaway together had certainly had it's fair share of ups and downs, even though they're only about halfway into it, but Kiara's harrowing crash out on the ski slope had definitely been the biggest mishap so far.

As she lies face-down on the bed now, Kiara can vividly relive the experience as if she were watching a movie in 1080HD. Not only had it felt like she had been hit by a train, but the seconds leading up to the wipe-out had felt as though she were _on_ a speeding train, so maybe it was more accurate for her to describe the experience as being on a runaway train that had then crashed into the sideline fences of a ski slope, and _then_ been hit by a second oncoming train.

Everything had rushed at her and past her at terrifying speeds, but the scariest part by far had been that dreading sense of knowing she had absolutely no control over any of it, and the gripping knowledge that she was going to crash no matter what.

The impact had been concussive and dizzying to say the least, and she'd found herself blinking her eyes open to a bright whiteness with a ringing in her ears and a throbbing numbness all throughout her body. She'd honestly thought she was dead (again), especially because Calli had been the first thing she'd seen once she was able to register her vision again.

She'd thought for sure that Calli had been there to reap her soul as usual, which would've been kind of a huge bummer, since they were supposed to be enjoying a vacation together. The fact that she'd somehow survived the accident without needing to be reborn from her ashes like usual was almost more shocking than the accident itself had been.

But it isn't until now - about thirty minutes later, after they've hobbled back to their room to rest - when Kiara starts to feel the full effects of it all.

To put it simply, quite literally _every_ inch of her is in some sort of pain.

"Uughgh… I'm gonna need a healer… My HP is in the negatives, Calli. Actually, it might be for the better if you just killed me after all right now."

Calli, who had just been setting up some things for the next intended stream, turns around in her chair to glance pitifully at her companion. She'd honestly considered killing Kiara earlier just to put her out of her misery, but since she hadn't broken any bones or bled at all, Calli had opted against it.

"I'd rather not, if it can be avoided," she replies. "We're on vacation, after all. I didn't exactly plan this with you just so I could kill you, believe it or not."

"Aw, that's kind of sweet coming from you, I guess."

Calli lets out a small sigh. She really doesn't want to have to kill her right now, but if it actually gets so bad that Kiara is just suffering constantly, she'll summon her scythe and put her out of her misery. But that's a last resort.

"Wanna try ordering some lunch now?"

Kiara groans and shakes her head where it's buried in the blankets.

"I don't think I can eat anything right now. My stomach hurts like hell…"

"I'm sorry to hear that." Calli offers a genuinely empathetic response.

Of course she'd expected a few blunders from Kiara out on the slope, being how inexperienced she was at the sport. But she'd never anticipated anything as bad as what had happened.

Calli had seen plenty of situations that humans would classify as grueling or terrifying, and typically they never affected her in her line of work. But this had been different.

First of all, it had been Kiara, and second of all, it had been on their getaway, which was supposed to be enjoyable and as least-stressful of a vacation as possible. Calli hadn't been planning on reaping her soul this time around; she honestly wanted Kiara to be able to relax and enjoy herself. And now it seemed like just the opposite was happening. She shakes her head quickly.

_No, no! Gotta focus on the positives!_

At the very least, Kiara hadn't broken or fractured anything, which was probably as close to a miracle as they could've hoped for. That would've just ruined the vacation altogether, no doubt. But at least like this they could try to keep having fun, once Kiara had some time to recover.

Looking her over now, Calli can't help but grimace.

The second Calli had helped her limp back to their room, Kiara had plopped face-down onto her bed and hasn't budged an inch since. She's been making pained moaning sounds all the while, sometimes so pitiful it actually makes Calli feel compelled to go and comfort her.

Six months earlier when they had just been getting started, if anyone had told Calli she would be going on a vacation with this annoying chicken, she would've called them deranged and killed them on the spot.

And yet here she is now, feeling genuinely bad for Kiara. Not even centuries of merciless reaping could make her heartless enough to not feel just a _little_ sympathetic.

Calli gets up from her chair and makes her way toward the bed, where Kiara is still moaning softly.

"Ugh… my arms… and my legs… and oh _god_ my stomach…"

Being that her career was in the death department, Calli actually was quite knowledgeable in methods of _preventing_ death as well, or at the very least ways to help improve a body's conditions when in distress. So she crosses the room to their mini fridge to pull out a bottle of water, then returns to the bed.

"You should drink something at least," she advises. "Since you aren't able to eat just yet, at least getting some water into your system should help a little bit."

Kiara peeks up at her past her ruffled orange bangs.

"Ghghg… you're probably right…" She sucks in a deep breath, which also hurts a little bit, then braces herself to move her arms. Wincing, Kiara slowly pushes herself a few inches up, but has to freeze when a particularly strong ache shoots up her chest. "Nngh ah-ahhh oohhh ow."

"Nice and slow." Calli keeps her tone as calm as possible as she reaches out to support her. Kiara leans against her arm, holding her breath and trying to focus on Calli instead of the soreness. Calli stays close to her once she's sat up, then hands her the water. Kiara accepts it from her with rickety movements.

"Agh… I feel like a super old lady or something."

"Well with all due respect, you _are_ kind of ancient."

"Yeah, I guess that's true, hah-hah."

After uncapping the water, Kiara takes a few sips. Calli rubs her back softly, another thing she never ever thought she'd be doing in a million millennia. She'd been in existence for as long as time itself had been a concept, even before humans had existed to name it, and she's seen a countless amount of things change since the beginning.

But she'd never experienced a _personal_ change quite like her feelings for Takanashi Kiara had changed.

"Just take it easy," she says casually. "Rest up for a while. We don't have to do anything important anytime soon, so let's have some chill time, yeah? That what a vacation's all about, after all!" She tries to sound positive, hoping the good vibes will rub off on her roommate.

Kiara offers a lopsided smile, but seconds later an ache starts pounding in her head. She puts a hand to her forehead and moans again.

"Ugh… on second thought maybe just kill me…"

"No, hey, c'mon. I don't wanna do that for once, surprisingly."

"Aw, thanks, Calli."

Kiara leans into her a little bit, and Calli doesn't protest. She caps the water bottle and puts it aside on the night stand, then turns her full attention back to Kiara. Calli can naturally sense her pain, and knows Kiara is hurting a lot more than she's letting on. This isn't at all how their trip was supposed to go.

Calli's heart sinks, but she quickly makes an offer in hopes of lifting the mood again.

"Hey, how about a massage?"

Kiara, who had heavily rested her head against Calli's shoulder, lifts her face slightly to look up at her.

"Do you- aghghg ow ow ow - do you think this is the kind of place where we could book one? I thought that would only be at the onsen?"

Here, Calli looks away, avoiding eye contact at all costs.

"…Who said anything about _booking_ one…?"

"Eh?" Kiara blinks, and it takes a moment for her befuddled brain to process the meaning of those words. When she finally understands she gasps, which hurts and makes her wince again. "Ah! Ooouuhh ow. W-Wait, Calli do you mean _you're_ gonna give me a massage?!"

"Now listen," Calli begins. "It's only because you had such a traumatic experience, all right? Don't get the wrong idea."

"Well of _course_ that's why you'd be offering to give me a massage," Kiara coos. "What exactly would be 'the wrong idea' hmm?"

"Nothing!"

"Of _course_ there's no way you'd do that for me just because you _liked_ me or anything right?"

"That's right. Absolutely not."

"Heh heh- aahhh owowow, laughing hurts."

"That's what you get."

"But it was worth it to see you blushing, Calli~ You're so cute!"

"All right, I'm officially redacting my offer of giving you a massage."

"Waaahh, nononooo wait I'm sorry! I take it back! You're not cute at all, there okay?"

"Good. Wait, that wasn't a compliment."

"Teeheehee- aaaah-! Calli, stop making me laaaugh aaugghgh."

"I'm not _trying_ to make you laugh. That's your own decision."

"Ohh, so cruel!"

"So anyway, you were about to take a nap."

"Wah? Nooo, you were gonna give me a massage, Calli!"

"Darn it. I hoped your bird brain forgot already."

"Oh, I would _never_ forget an offer like that from you, Calli~"

"Then are we doing it or not? Ah, wait a sec, hold on-"

" _Doing it?!_ Gee, I dunno Calli, _are_ we doing it? You tell me~!"

"Gaaah, that's not what I meant!"

"Hah hah hah-! Oooww…"

Both of them take a moment to recover - Kiara physically, and Calli emotionally. But eventually Kiara gives her a hopeful look and Calli concedes.

"All right. If we're gonna do this then you're gonna have to lie down again."

"Wait, shouldn't I take my clothes off first~?"

"Not that kind of massage!"

"Ahaha!"

"Kusotoriii… maybe I'll summon my scythe after all."

"Waaah, no no, I'll behave! I don't wanna die anymore! Feeling your hands on my body will be worth living for~"

"Why, you-" Calli has to seriously restrain herself from kill her now, reminding herself it's their vacation. But she does give Kiara a firm poke on the forehead, which makes her whimper like a scolded puppy. "Just lie down and stop being weird for five seconds."

"Okay but no promises. You're dealing with the Queen of Bottom Left, after all."

Kiara peels herself away from Calli and slowly starts to lie down, though every time she has to move her legs or arms there's another grunt in the back of her throat. Now that some time has passed, the bruises all over her body are becoming more prominent. Calli grimaces at the sight of them, especially the huge one on her leg.

"After this you should take a nice hot bath. It'll have to suffice before we can get to the onsen."

"Yeah. I think I might do that… Do you wanna-"

" _No,_ I do not wanna join you in your bath, Kusotori."

"I just figured I'd ask~"

Calli grumbles something unintelligible as Kiara finally finishes lying down on her stomach. She folds her arms beneath one of the pillows and buries her face into it with a long groaning sigh.

"Calli, if this is a trap to get me relaxed just so you can kill me, that's honestly fine, too."

"I'm not gonna kill you. Probably." She could only imagine holding their first collab stream back and confessing she'd killed Kiara on their vacation. She'd never hear the end of it from their fans or from the other Hololive members, so she's determined to do everything within her power to avoid that outcome.

Once Kiara has finally settled down as much as she's able to, Calli looks down at her back. Only now does it hit her that she's going to actually have to go through with this, and that it's going to require _quite_ a bit of physical contact on her part. It's definitely not something she's used to.

_But it's fine. It's Kusotori, and it's our vacation. Plus she's hurt… If I did nothing, I'd just be a terrible friend and kind of a jerk._

As much as she can't stand Kiara sometimes, what she can't stand even _more_ is to see her in pain.

So with a huge sigh, Calli reaches out her arms and rests her hands lightly onto Kiara's shoulders.

Kiara's initial reaction is to squeak, and Calli can't tell if it's more from pain or delight, but at this point Kiara deserves both, in her book.

"Would you stop making such weird noises?!"

"I can't help it! You surprised me!"

"Didn't I just _tell_ you I was going to do this?"

"Well, yeah, but still!"

"Guuhhh…"

But in spite of her groaning, Calli is relieved that Kiara has the energy back to return to her usual shenanigans. Her bubble has already been pretty bursted today thanks to the skiing incident, so Calli is really trying her best not to let things get any worse. Kiara had already cried from the pain and shock of the crash, and Calli would damn herself if she saw her cry again on their trip, unless they were good tears.

She waits for Kiara to exhale again before she starts with her massage, keeping it light and loose. Just from the first few seconds of curling her fingers into Kiara's shoulders, Kiara moans out some obscenely-weird sound.

"Nghghugh- aaaah Calliiiii…"

"I can't tell if I should be worried or pissed off about the noises you're making."

"Nnnooo… it feels good. It hurts, but it's good pain I think. What's that thing they say… oh! 'It hurts so good!'"

"Uh… Then that's good. I think… Just don't make it too weird, please."

"I mean, I'll try not to, but no promises."

Calli heaves another sigh and continues. She stays at Kiara's shoulders for a few minutes, trying to be mindful of the way she twitches or tenses up at certain movements, and then avoid doing that again. All the while, Kiara moans and groans into the pillow.

If anyone happened to walk by and hear, Calli isn't sure _what_ the hell they would think was going on inside this room. Murder? Affection? Lewdness? Or possibly all three at once, and then some? Just thinking about it makes her blush, but at least Kiara can't see that.

After a few more minutes of tending to her shoulders, Calli slowly begins moving her hands down the center of Kiara's back. Kiara groans a little louder and digs her nails into the bedsheets.

"Uwaaaghhnngh…"

"Kusotori, you're going to damage your voice if you keep this up."

"But it huuuuurts! And it feels good! I can't help it!"

"I suppose it's my own fault for offering to do this…"

Calli kneads her fingers across Kiara's back, rolling her knuckles a bit here or there, trying to be mindful of the most painful spots. Kiara clearly can't stop herself from letting out more embarrassing noises, so Calli just tries not to lose her mind in having to listen to all of it. Some of the sounds are actually kind of cute, and she has to fight with every shred of self-control she has not to chuckle.

"Nghuuhh aaahh oooooouuwaaahh, Calliiiii…"

"What the heck, Kusotori? You sound like a drowning water buffalo or something."

"Kya-hah! What the heck is that supposed to mean? Does a water buffalo really sound like that? And if it's a _water_ buffalo but it's drowning then it must be a pretty bad water buffalo… hah hah hah! Ahh- aauuoow it still kinda hurts to laugh."

Calli actually finally cracks a laugh with her at that point.

"Take it easy. I'll try not to make you laugh then."

She continues her massage, trying to remember the techniques the professionals had used on her and put them into practice on Kiara now.

After several minutes of massaging her back, Calli slips her hands down to each of Kiara's sides. And that's where the drawn-out moans and exaggerated, ridiculous-sounding sighs suddenly come to an abrupt halt.

"Haaaaah- _ah!_ "

Kiara suddenly gasps tightly, and Calli feels her whole body tense up all at once.

"Kiara?"

"Ahh- oww, my ribs-"

Calli can tell she isn't just messing around this time and that it's really hurting her, so she immediately withdraws her hands, and her voice becomes laden with concern.

"S-Sorry!"

"Agh- n-no it's okay. It actually feels a little better now I think…"

"I'm getting _very_ mixed messages here, Kusotori."

"Aha sorry. I'm fine now."

Calli to re-composes herself, not willing to admit just how flustered she'd gotten to think she might've hurt her.

They each take a moment to recover, and then Calli gently begins rubbing her hands up and down Kiara's sides.

Kiara exhales shakily, trying to focus on Calli's touch rather than the aching soreness throbbing through her body. She breathes out into the fabric of the pillow, but her thoughts take her back to the terror of the accident against her will. Just remembering the rush of the world around her and the whipping winds cutting past her make her heart pound, and she can still relive the explosive crash as if it were just happening again right now…

But then there's Calli, rushing to her side and calling out for her, trying to help her up and untangle her from the fence without hurting her, dusting the snow off of her and wiping her tears and pulling her into a big hug, all while saying her name over and over again and asking if she was all right…

It was just a lot all at once, and remembering it now when she's safe and much more relaxed with her has Kiara's eyes stinging all over again. She sniffles, trying to hold the fresh wave of tears back.

But Calli notices the hitch in her breathing right away and stops what she's doing. She fears she'd accidentally touched a sore spot again.

"Sorry. Was that-?" But a second later, she hears Kiara sob and watches her shoulders begin to tremble. Calli's heart twists. "Kuso- h-hey, Kiara-?"

"Ah-!" Kiara tries to shake her head to tell her not to worry, but realizes it probably just sounds like she's in even _more_ pain. "N-No, it's all right, Calli!"

"But you're crying-!" Calli's voice tapers off in dismay. She rubs her back softly by means of apology. "You should've told me if it hurt-"

"No no no!" Kiara half-sobs, half-laughs, lifting her face up from the pillow and wiping her eyes. "It's not that, Calli. You didn't hurt me. It's just like… there's a lot of stuff going on in my head right now… Like, I'm still reliving the crash and stuff, which was _so_ scary.

"But then you were right there to help me so quickly! And you're taking such good care of me now, too. And like… I dunno, you're just so sweet to me, Calli. And I feel so bad because this happened, but it was supposed to be our vacation and now I kinda put a damper on it and stuff… even though this is one of the last times we're gonna get to be together…"

She starts to hiccup as more tears come, and as the sobs get a bit heavier it starts to hurt her ribs - and just about everywhere else again, too.

Calli's chest tightens as she listens. It's beyond upsetting that Kiara is blaming herself for this, but she isn't exactly the best at providing words of support and comfort. But that doesn't mean she isn't going to try.

"Hey, that's not true." Resting a hand on Kiara's shoulder, Calli has her turn to look at her. Seeing Kiara's tearstained face with a small bruise on the side of her cheek and chin really puts Calli on the verge of crying as well. She tries to keep her voice steady.

"It was just an accident, Kiara. You didn't dampen the mood or anything. I'm just sad that you got hurt, but that doesn't mean our vacation is ruined or anything, right? After you rest and heal up a little, we'll jump right back into things! No need to worry! And no need to cry, okay?"

Kiara sniffles again.

"Yeah… you're right, Calli…" She wipes her face with both hands as Calli helps her sit up all the way. Kiara whimpers softly, trying to get ahold of herself. "Ahh… but I think they're just happy tears now, Calli. For real. I'm so happy we could do this together… even if it might be the last time…"

A deep and stinging ache resonates within Calli's chest.

"Hey now, don't say it like that… No way it's gonna be the last time. We're together for all eternity, remember? Whether we wanna be or not."

"Do you wanna?" Kiara asks. "I mean… are you okay with being with me for all eternity, Calli?"

Calli swallows.

"Well, I mean if it's in the literal sense, then yeah, that's fine by me. I don't mean it any other way though."

"Heh. Just as friends, right?"

"Yeah. Just as friends is good."

"Okay, you keep telling yourself that."

Kiara offers a tiny smile. Calli grimaces back, which makes Kiara laugh.

The tears continue falling a little though, so Calli wraps her arms around Kiara and pulls her into a long hug. And even though it sort of hurts, Kiara doesn't care if her body is sore. She wishes she could hug Calli for the rest of her endless life and never let go even after time ceased to exist.

And Calli has to admit it isn't the worst thing in the world. Countless centuries of being surrounded by nothing but death hadn't exactly been the more comforting job at most times. It wasn't like she ever even _got_ hugs before, from anyone or anything.

Kiara was the first to be able to touch her like this, and the only one to be able to hug her so many times. Again and again, with each new death and rebirth.

Now that Calli is on hiatus, they can hug much more frequently. It's just a matter of if Calli is willing to let it be known.

But she believes this situation justifies it a good amount.

Calli closes her eyes and tucks her face into Kiara's shoulder, stroking her hair and feathers. She'd never say it out loud, but Kiara is very soft, and very warm.

And when Kiara returns the embrace with such earnestness, it makes Calli tear up again.

Nothing and no one had ever loved death before - not as much as Kiara loves her, or in quite the same way.

Only now, in the middle of their getaway trip, does it really start to hit her. This really will be their last hurrah for a long time. Their time to be together like this is ending very soon. She won't get to hug her like this again, or feel these conflicted feelings...

Calli doesn't make a sound as she feels one of her tears falling, vanishing instantly into Kiara's hair. And then, as if to further conflict her, Kiara gives her another squeeze around her waist and nuzzles into her neck.

"I'm so glad I got to meet you, Calli. Even if I'm leaving soon… I wanna keep meeting you again, forever and ever."

Calli draws in a sharp breath and holds it.

"Yeah… me too, Kusotori." Calli folds her arms around her a little more tightly, savoring the pulse of Kiara's heartbeat against hers. The words come out in a whisper, too small to be heard.

"I'm gonna miss you…"

"Hm?" Kiara eases back a little. "Calli, did you say something?"

"Nah. But maybe you should take a rest, yeah? Then afterward we can go get something to eat."

"Yeah, I'm actually feeling a bit tired right now… that sounds like a good idea."

They ease apart, and Calli helps her lie down again. Kiara holds onto her sleeve and gives a little tug.

"Do you wanna nap with me, Calli?"

It's only partially-serious; she doesn't expect her to say yes. Which is why it's so surprising.

"Sure, why not?"

"Wh- Really?!"

"Yeah, I'm kinda beat after all that skiing. I could use a nap."

Kiara tries not to get too excited. They have their own beds after all.

"Okay. Maybe we should just set an alarm so we don't-"

But she cuts off when Calli pulls her legs up onto Kiara's bed, and starts to lie down right there beside her.

Kiara holds back a squeal, shifting over a little bit to make room for her. Calli lies down right beside her, putting her head on the very same pillow. Kiara gazes up at her with sparkling purple-skrellington eyes. Calli huffs and looks away.

"It's warmer over here…"

"Aaaah, Calliiiii~!"

"Sh-Shut up! Gaah-!"

"Heehee, come here, you~!"

Kiara throws both arms around her in another hug, and even though it hurts to move like that, it's worth it.

Calli doesn't resist, simply so she won't end up making her even more sore - not at all because she sort of likes it. Definitely not.

She just folds her arms around Kiara and lets her wiggle close and nestle against her, glad to see her happy again.

"Mmmnn, Calli, you're so soft…"

"I think you've told me that before. But thanks, I guess…? Though I'm not sure 'soft' is what a Reaper should be going for…"

"You're on hiatus right now so who cares~?" Kiara lets out a big yawn, and her eyes begin falling shut.

Calli huffs, but in contrast her fingers are gentle as she cards through Kiara's hair.

"Go to sleep, Kusotori."

"Yeah, you too, Calli… Oyasumi~"

"It's still the middle of the day… but sure, yeah, oya-soo-mi."

"Hah hah! Calli, you're so funny…"

Before long Kiara tapers off, mumbling softly in her sleep.

Calli pets her hair and down her back for a little while longer, knowing it'll be one of the last times.

It hurts, but it'll just make these moments all the more precious and irreplaceable in the end.

She closes her eyes and curls herself around Kiara.

And who's to say if her lips don't brush against her forehead, just as lightly as a feather would?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Ahhh I know it's old news by now since their vacation was a while ago, but I didn't get the chance to write about it until recently. I imagine Calli did a lot of comforting Kiara off-stream since that was probably a very very scary accident ;v;
> 
> Please leave comments or kudos!


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